Asked about how he handled Incognito's earlier actions, Philbin said, according to Pro Football Talk: "We were made of aware of the situation, we took immediate action. Any club action we took against any player would remain private."

But the brouhaha that envelops the team runs much deeper. It includes the 2012 golf outing and Incognito's actions amid reports he paid for the silence of the female involved.

National media attention focused on the team delves into not its lackluster on-field performance ahead of Monday's game against the woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the riot of wrongful deeds and responses in which the Dolphins swim.

Is it hypocritical for the Dolphins to have disposed of Chad Ochocinco following his domestic abuse incident but to have kept Incognito for his acts 18 months ago? More questionable still, as The Miami Herald notes, the team also allowed him to become a leader. Just how wise was that? And that isn't just because of reports he held meetings for offensive linemen at a strip club?

While Philbin says his office is open to the men under his charge — "I believe I'm approachable to the players," he told Pro Football Talk — it's puzzling what he might have been hearing.

As for Incognito, his misdeeds with the Dolphins should be no surprise to anyone. Teams backed away from the talented but troubled player before the 2005 NFL Draft. He was good enough to be among college football's elite but was booted from Nebraska after a series of incidents that escalated from suspensions.

The St. Louis Rams decided to take a risk in making Incognito a third-round pick. Mike Martz, Rams coach at the time, told The New York Times the team valued his toughness. That's the one aspect of Incognito no one questions.

Subsequent loose-cannon behavior cost Incognito job after job. Now the Dolphins are facing the embarrassment of cleaning up after him.